Whirligig



1. NICKENNA.

WHIRLIGIG.

APPLICAHON FILED Nov.2l.19m.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

. 'T @FICE i JAMES Meknivive, or Tonoiv'ro, o'ivianni,` CANADA, .essienon fro 'riis enteran GOIVIJPANY, or* SHIPPENSBUBH, PENNSYLVANIA;

WHIRLIGIG.,

Application filed. November 21, 1918.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, JAiins MoKnNNA, citizen ot Canada, residing at Toronto, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in W'hirligigs, ot which the following` is a specification.

rllhis invention relates to an improved toy and more particularly to a whirligig and has as its primary object to provide a device of this character employing display slides which, when the device is rotated, will be projected by centrifugal torce into position Afor display.

The invention has as a `further object to provide an arrangement wherein the display slides will be connected by resilient members tending; to retractthe slides and wherein said slideswill be provided with colorbands or stripes so that when the slides are projected against the resiliency ot said members, the color bands thereon will l'orm gradually expanding or contracting color rings around the body as the speed of rotation of the device is accelerated or retarded.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a device of the above described character which will be constructed of few and simple parts and wherein said parts may be readily assembled so that the device may thus be easily produced.

Other and incidental objects will appeal' during the course ofl the detailed descrip-` `sponding` parts throughout the several views: l

Figure 1 is a perspective view oiI my improved device this view showing in dotted lines, the manner in which the display slides of the device are adapted to rbe projected from the body thereof when the body is rotated.

Fig.` 2 is a `fragmentary sectional view of the device7 y Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the sections of the body of the device separated and also illustrating the display slides in detail, and

Fig. 4 is a detail elevation showing the outer tace of the rear body disk of the device.

ln carrying the invention into effect my Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Tov. 18, 1919.

Serial lToQZGSOS.

improved whirligig is formed with a circular body made up o1' companion circular sections or disks 10 and 11 respectively, the

`disk 10 providing the back plate of the body and the disk 11 the front plate. Upon its outer face the disk 10 is preferably provided with a central circular red colored area 12 around which is a band oil white 13 and encircling this white band at the margin o1'` the disk is a band oi blue 14. 'lhe inner tace of the disk is white. The disk 11 is, as shown in Eig. 3, ot skeleton construction and comprises a ring 15 between opposite sides oi which extend parallel chordal cross bars 16 intersect-ed by a diametric cross bar .17 having a widened central portion 1S lying between the cross bars 16. These several cross bars thus deliiie a plurality of substantially triangular shaped openings 19 at the o uter sides of thecross bars 16 and oppositely disposed oblong openings 20 between said cross bars at opposite sides of the central portion 18 of the cross bar 17. Upon `eachend of the cross bar 17 is a white stripe 21. The center portion 18 of this bar bears a somewhat wider stripe 22 in the center oit which is arranged axially o'll the disk a circular area of blue 23; The remaining` area of the onteitace of `this disk or section is colored red. The disks or sections 10 and 11 may be constructed of cardboard or other approved material7 and, as particularly brought out in Fig. 2, are of equal diameter. Formed through the disk 10 adjacent its periphery are diametrically disposed openings 211. The disk 11 is provided with similar openings 25 adapted to register with the openings 24 and itted through these registering openings are staples 26 having their free ends rebent against the outer iace of the disk 10 for thus connectingthe disks to form the body of the device. The disk 10 at opposite sides of its axis is provided with spaced openings 27, and formed through the widened central portion 18 of the cross bar 17 of the disk 11 is a similar pair vof lspaced openings 28 registeringwith the openings 9,7 and receiving the overlappino; strands of the loop of a cord or other approved flexible element 29 therethrough. This loop may, ot course, be of any approved length. Slidably mounted between the disks or sections 1() and 11 of the body is a radially eXpansible center plate or disk made up of a pair of semi-circular Sections ing is a reversely curved pair of radially eX tending incisions or slits 35 terminating in openings36. inserted through the slits 35 to engage in corresponding openings of the openings 36 in the slides are rubber bands or other similar resilient loops 37 extending at opposite sides of the slides therebetween for yieldably connecting the slides and normally holding the inner straight edges thereof abutting. In this connection it will be observed that Vthe outer end portions of the slits 35 are curved laterally and inwardly in the direction of the straight edges of the slides to enter the openings 36 so that the members 37 will enga e the imperforate portions of the walls o said openings and the accidental displacement of said members from the openings through the slits thereby prevented. `Formed in the slides are oppositely disposed radial slots 38 which freely receive the staples 26 therethrough so that these staples thus act to slidably connect the slides with the body of the device. Y

The manner in which the cord 29 is grasped and employed for rotating the devlce will be well understood. Normally, the members 37 will act to hold the slides 30 retracted upon the body of the device between the disks or sections 10 and 11 thereof. However, when the body is rotated, these slides will, by centrifugal action, be separated and projected against the tension of said members radially with respect to the aXls kof rotation of the body. Furthermore,

vas the speed of rotation of the body is accelerated, the slides will be correspondingly advanced outwardly while as the speed of rotation of the body is retarded, the slides will loe retracted inwardly by the members 37. Consequently, it will be seen that when the device is viewed from the rear, the disk or section 10 will present three moving bands colored red, white and blue, while the slides will, owing to the practical impossibility of rotating the body at a uniform speed, present a constantly expanding or contracting moving band of white around` the band of blue. vIn this connection it will, of course,l

` be understood that the staples 26 Will supp ort and guide the slides 30 in their radial movement. When the device is viewed from its front side a band of blue will be seen at. the center of the device, this band 0f blue,

being formed by the blue area 2.3 upon the front disk or section 11. Around this band of blue the stripe 22 will form a band of white. Around this band of white, the red upon the bars 16 lying between the stripe 22 and the white stripes 21, will form a well defined band of red and since, as shown in Figure 1, the Vred areas 31 upon thc slides 30 will show through the openings 19 and 20, said areas will form a less well defined band of red gradually expanding or contracting for the reason previously stated. The white bands 32 upon the slides will also show through the openings 19 and 2O and as also brought out in Fig. 1, the areas of red 31 upon the slides are intersected by the white stripes 21 upon the bar 17 while thel white bands are intersected by the red cross bars 16. Consequently, when the device is rotated at a relatively low speed so that the white band will not be moved out of view beneath the ring 15, a mottled band of red and white will be seen around the band of red formed by the red areas 31. Then, when the speed of rotation of the device is accelerated the band of red formed by the areas 31 will disappear and a clear band of white will appear in lieu thereof, this clear band of white being formed by the white inner face of the disk or section 10 and being defined and surrounded by a band of red formed by the ring 15. When the speed of rotation of the device is thus accelerated the areas of red 31 will be projected at the periphery ofthe body of the device to form a band of red immediately surrounding the body. Around this band the stripes 32 will form a band of white, while around this band of white the areas 33 upon the slides will form a band of blue. It will thus be seen that the colors of the device will change as the speed thereof is accelerated or retarded and by the arrangement of colors shown, I provide a highly attractive toy of the present character. The red, white and blue bands seen at the periphery of the body of the device, when the device is rotated at a relatively high rate of speed will, for the reason herein given, also gradually expand or contract so that these bands will have the appearance of gradually unfolding one out of the other, as the speed of the device is accelerated, or gradually fading one into the other as the speed of the device is retarded. This kaleidoscopic effect pro- -duced by the device will prove one very fascinating to observe. However, I do not wish to be limited to any particular arrange nient of colors as different combinations of the same colors or various combinations of different colors may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A device' of the character described '1neluding a body formed of companion outer side plates, display membe-rs slidable between said plates, stationary means connecting the plates and extending freely through said members for slidably connecting the members with. the plates, and means ior rotating the body whereby to shift the members outwardly thereon by centrifugal force.

A device oi the character described including companion slides, companion outer side plates seating, fiat against the side faces oil the slides and spaced apart thereby, spaced stationary connecting means extending between the plates the slides being freely engaged with said means respectively Whereby the slides may shift relative thereto, and means for rotating the plates.

8. Ina device oi the character described, the combination ol? a solid rear side plate, a skeleton front side plate provided with color areas, spaced connecting means extending between the plates, companion slides disposed betiveen the plates and each engaged by a corresponding one of said connecting means whereby the slides may shift relative to said means and relative to the plates, the slides being provided with color areas visible through the skeleton front side plate, and means for rotating the plates whereby to shift the slides outwardly therebetween and cause the color areas of the slides to disappear lroni View through the skeleton 'front side plate and appear beyond the outer edge of said plate blending with the color areas upon the front plate.

-L-l.. A. device of the character described including companion outer side plates, spaced connecting means extending between the plates, companion slides disposed between the plates and each engaged by a corresponding` one of said connecting means whereby the slides may shift radially With respect to the plates, the slides being formed with slots entering through the inner edges of the slides and terminating in openings, yieldable means insertible through said slots and engaged in said openings for con necting the slides, and means for rotating said plates.

In testimony vvhereoi| I aiiix my signature.

JAMES MGKENNA. [Ls] 

